Method of setting rules for printing



A ril 19, 1932.

M. M. LEFTWICH 5 METHOD OF SETTING RULES FOR PRINTING Filed April 7,1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEY atented Apr. 19, 1932 MORRIS M. LE'ETWICH,

PATENT OFFICE OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA METHOD or snrrme RULES FOR PRINTINGApplication filed A ril 7,

This invention relates to printing plates for printing designs made ofthinlines, and more specifically to printing straight lines eitherhorizontal or vertical of the sheet, or

both.

The objects of this invention are to produce a printing plate forprinting a line or a plurality thereof on a sheet whereof the usual formis that of a plurality of lines spatially related in both horizontal andvertical directions of the sheet, such as sheets for bills, financialstatements, ledgers, and the like; which plates may be made of materialsnot now used for this purpose; which may ['5 be quickly made with thespaces between the lines of any predetermined value; which plates aremade without the use of molds; in which the body of the plates isentirely nonmetallic, the only metal used being the 2 printing edges,which plates, therefore, re-

quire only thin metal strips for forming the line-printing elements;which avoid the necessity of melting metal parts or of applyingtemperatures in manufacture differing from normal room temperatures;which plates may be made more rapidly and with less manufacturingequipment than is now possible for production of plates which makesimilar imprints on sheets, and the production' of which plates is farless costly than that of any other type or character of plates formaking similar imprints now known to applicant.

Other objects will appear as this description proceeds.

Briefly, this invention includes the use of thin strips, preferably ofmetal, one edge whereof has the exact thickness required for thethickness of the lines to be printed,- and the width of the strip beingsubstantially equal to the thickness of the plate. These strips are setedgewise on a planar surface, being spaced as desired, and the plate ismade by pouring in, around and between the strips some substance whichis initially plastic and which later hardens or sets, thereby anchoringthe strips in the desired position with their printing edges all in oneplane and having the desired thickness. Vherever the printing stripscross each other, they are slot- 1930. Serial No. 442,233.

ted as is usual from opposite edges toward the middle of the stripwidth, which character of construction is well-known.

The plastic self-hardening substance which anchors the strips and withthem makes the complete plate, must, of course, be thinner from the backto the front than the width of the strip, so that no portion of thishardened material may touch the paper and make an imprint thereon.Different methods may be used to limit the thickness of the hardmaterial, as later set forth herein.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe novel and useful formation, construction, interrelation andcombination of parts, members and features, as well as mode and methodsof use thereof, and steps and performances taken and had, all ashereinafter described, shown in the drawings, and finally pointed out inclaims.

In the drawings 2- Fig. 1 shows an isometric perspective view of twoline-printing strips notched for assembly in directions transverse toeach other for making a printing plate having both horizontal andtransverse lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the rear surfaces of a plurality ofhorizontal and vertical strips interlocked together and placed on a flatassembly support or plate.

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken along lineIII-III of Fig; 2 and drawn'to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 shows a typical form illustrative of the character of the imprintmade from the line-printing plates.

In Fig. 1 10 and 20 each designate a single strip having thin beveledprinting edges 11 and 21 respectively and rear or butt edges 12 and 22respectively. Slots or notches 13 are made in strip 10 from the printingedge toward the middle, while in strip 20 notches 23 are made from thebutt edge toward the middle, as indicated. 95 Obviously, the notches instrip 10'interlock with those in strip 20, there being a strip similarto strip 10 for each of the notches 23 in strip 20 and there being astri similar to 20 for each of the notches 13 strips lie against theassembly surface 15,

a plastic material may be poured in between the strips and around themand in an amount sufficient to nearly reach the top of the thin printingedges of the strips, but insufficient to project as high above theassembly surface 15 as the thickness of the strips, or the strips may belaid together with their printing edges downward against the assemblysurface 15 and a thin layer of some easily removable and cheap materialmay be poured or placed be tween and around the strips against thesurface 15 as indicated at 14 in Fig. 3. On top of this layer 14 ofmaterial first placed or poured on to surface 15, the plastic substance16 which subsequently hardens is poured filling up the intersticesbetween the several strips. When this second material l6 hardens, theentire unit is lifted from assembly surface 15 and the removable layer14: is shaken or pulled out leaving the printing edges of the strips 10and 20 piglecting beneath the surface of the plate There are, of course,many fillers to fulfil the purpose of 1a which is simply to prevent thehardened substance constituting the plate from reaching a thicknessequal to the width of the strips or bars, such as sand, chalk, powderedcharcoal, sawdust, or any finely divided substance which may be simplyshaken out, or wax, parafline and the like which may be pulled out fromthe openings formed by the intersecting bars, or the limiting layer 14may be entirely omitted, the hardening substance poured in, and theupper surface thereof merely spooned or scooped ofiwhile it is stillsoft. The substance of which the plate is made and indicated by thenumeral 16 in Fig. 3, is preferabl an earthen substance which is cheap,lig t in weight, easily mixed, and preferably rapidly hardening and alsohas the characteristic of taking'a set or becoming hard at printingroomtemperatures. Preferably it does not shrink when it hardens, but holdstightly to thestrips and anchors them in position. -As examples of suchsubstances are artificial stone compositions, which are chiefly ofcement or plaster of Paris, or'a mixture of the two, or other similarearthen self-hardening material. Obviously such materials are far lesscostly than metals, require no heat application at any time, either whenmixing, placing or hardening, and weigh much less than metals, so thatthere is a considerable money saving in using such materials, as well asthat of the cost of making molds for pouring metals, and the cost ofmelting and pouring as well as that required for equipment for meltingand pouring metals, and when a number of such plates is stored away, theinvest- .ment and the weight to be supported on shelves or in any othermanner are both much 7 less than for'metal plates. Having described myinvention in connection with illustrative embodiments, forms andarrangements of parts, it will be understood that many variants thereofare possible to those skilled in the art, and my invention, in itsbroader aspects, is not limited to the particular construction orapplication herein shown and described, as changes in size, proportions,configurations, arrangements, assemblage, interaction, juxtaposition andmechanical relations, as well as additions, omissions, substitutions,combinations and alter-a tions of forms, parts, members, features, andin the kind and order of operations and successive steps, may be madewithout departlast mentioned rules from their back edges 9 at thedesired points; said depths of the notches in the two sets of rulestotaling approximately the depth of the rules; placing the lastmentioned rules in spaced parallel relationship with their printingedges upon a horizontal fiat surface; separating the other set of rulesin spaced parallel relationship and at right angles to the firstmentioned set of rules; the printing edges of the last mentioned rulesbeing faced downwardlywhereby interlocking of the rules will occur;sprinkling a granular substance down into the interstices of the gridwork of the rules; inserting hardening means aboveth granular substance;allowing the same to harden; and then lifting the grid of rules from itssup porting surface.

2. The method of setting intersecting rules for printing comprising,notching one rule from its printing edge to a point about halfwaytherethrough, notching the other rule from its back edge to its halfwaypoint, fitting these notches together so that the printing edges of bothrules are in substantially the same plane, resting the printing edges12a upon a smooth flat surface so that the print-' ing edges are inexactly the same plane, sprinkling a granular substance down into theseveral rules, forcing a hardening plastic down upon the granularsubstance and 130 around the several rules, permitting the same toharden, and then lifting the'several rules and shaking the granularsubstance from therebetween.

3. The method of producing a plate for making a linear imprint,including providing a thin metallic strip of a predetermined length andwidth, said width being substan: tially equal to the plate thickness,one edge of said strip being of the thickness required to print aline ofthe desired thickness, placing an edge of said strip on a surface,pouring a plastic substance adapted to harden around said strip andlimiting the thickness of said substance so that it is less than thewidth of said strip.

4. The method of producing a plate for making a linear imprint,including the pro vision of a thin metallic strip of a predeterminedlength and width, said Width being substantiallygaqual to the platethickness, one

edge of said strip being beveled to the thick-.

ness required to print .a line of the desired thickness, placing an edgeof said strip on a surface, placing'a thin layer of removable 'materialon said surface around said strip,

' then placing a second layer of a plastic selfhardening earthensubstance on said first layer around said strip until the upper surfaceof said second layer is approximately flush with the upper edge of saidstrip and finally removing said first layer after hardening of saidsecond layer, thereby leaving a portion of said strip extending beyondthe surface of' said second hardened layer.

5.The method of producing a plate for making a plurality of linearimprints, in-

cluding the provision of a plurality of thin metallic stri s all ofcorresponding predetermined wi th and each to a predetermined length,one edge of each of said strips being beveled to the thickness requiredto print a line of the desired thickness, placing said strips edgewiseon a surface in predetermined spatial relationship, then placing a layerof a plastic self-hardening earthen substance between and around saidstrips, the thickness of said layer of the plastic substance being madeless than the width of a strip.

6. The method of producing a plate for imprinting a pluralityoflongitudinal and transverselines whereof some intersect others,comprising the following steps: the provision of a metallic printingstrip for each of said lines to be printed, all of said strips beingmade of identical width, each strip being beveled to the thickness ofand made as long as the line to be imprinted thereby; notching thestrips at points of intersection so that the strips may interlock, thecooperating notch depths being sufficient for the strip edges to lie inthe same plane; assembling said strips on a surface; placing a thinlayer of removable material on said surface around the strips and in theinterstices therebetween; placing a layer of plastic self-hardeningmaterial made of an earthen substance mixed with a liquid, on saidfirst-named layer around said strips and in the intersticestherebetween; and removing said movable layer after said self-hardeninglayer has set.

7. A printing plate, including a metallic printing member, and a backingby which said plate is held in position and composed of a substanceother than that of the said printing member, said holding substancebeing initially plastic and subsequently self-hardene d, both of saidphysical conditions occurring at normal external Work-room temperatures.

8. A plate for printing lines comprising a plurality of metal printingelements, each having a thickness at one edge of proper dimension toprint lines of the desired Width, said elements being anchored inposition edgewise into the plate, said plate being formed of anonmetallic heat-resistant earthen substance initially plastic andself-hardening and adapted to be placed in position around said metallicstrips while plastic and subsequently to harden, said conditions of thesubstance occurring in normal work-room temperatures.

9. A plate for printing linear imprints, comprising a plurality of thinmetallic strips set edgewise, one edge whereof is of the requiredthickness to print a desired line, said strips being placed atpredetermined distances apart and anchored together by a plastic earthensubstance adapted to harden and which substance has a thickness lessthan the width of said metallic strips.

10. A plate for linear imprints composed 'of a flatmetallic strip havingone edge of appropriate thickness for making said imprint, anothersimilar metallic strip placed at an angle to said first strip, each ofsaid strips being notched at their intersection so that the two mayinterlock and the edges of said strips may lie in the same plane, abacking plate into 11 which said strips are anchored, composed of aplastic self-hardening material, the printing edges of said stripsprojecting beyond the plane of said backing, thus constituting a unitaryprinting plate.

11. A nonmetallic printing plate for linear imprints, composed of anearthen substance which has changed from a plastic to a hard material,and printing strips set edgewise in said substance While plastic, theprinting edges of said strips projecting beyond the surface of saidhardened substance.

12. Means for printing linear designs, comprising a plurality ofmetallic strips whereof one edge forms the printing means, a backingplate into which said strips are set edgewise, said backing plate beingthinner than the width of said printing strips, so that one surface ofthe said backing plate lies in a plane above that of the plane of theprinting edgesof said strips, said backing plate being of a nonmetallicinitially plastic self-hardening substance.

13. A line printing plate, including a plurality of thin metal stripswhereof the edges form the printing surfaces, the strips beingsetz'edgewise to the surface of and extending through the plate, saidplate being made of ant initially plastic substance which is assembledwith said printing strips while soft, said substance subsequentlyhardening, thereby forming the plate and the anchorage of said printingstrips, the plane of the edges of said strips projecting beyond that ofthe said plate.

14. A printing plate made of an earthen substance which is initiallyplastic and subsequently hardens, said change occurring at normalatmospheric temperatures, the design to be printed being formed of thinstrip material shaped to desired form and the edges thereof being theportions which contact with the surface to be printed, said stripdesigns being mounted in said plate when said substance is "plastic,becoming subsequently an;

hored therein when said substance hardens. F In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature.

MORRIS M. LEFTWIGH.

